Yes, we have some bad managers at tech companies. And yes I was hard on them, placing the blame for programmer apathy directly in their lap.

But I want to help programmers who feel frustrated, disenfranchised, or shut-down. It was you who posted the vast majority of comments, describing terrible conditions and awful management. You raised your hand to say, “I’m tired of this.”

Starting today, let’s change this.

We, as programmers, have accepted this behavior.

We teach managers how to treat us by what we tolerate.

Let’s get real. We can’t change everything alone, but we have more power than we think.

Here are some actionable ways you can radically change your work environment.

Recognize that your manager wants to do a good job.

Chances are good your boss used to be an engineer, just like you. Tech companies embrace the Peter Principle, and they promote people to the level where they begin to fail.

Talk about the environment, not just the process.

Most of teams discuss their agile process. What worked, what didn’t, how can things improve. That’s what an agile retrospective is for. The best teams regularly talk about it, and even make changes to improve things.

Begin to make your environment a topic of discussion, and you may well see things change.

You don’t have to get approval from anyone for this. Don’t expect your boss to hold a meeting entitled How To Improve The Software Development Environment. Don’t propose it for the next team meeting.

Just start talking about it.

Start questioning assumptions, bringing up environmental topics in your retrospectives. The more you talk about it, the more others will too.

Schedule a one-on-one with your boss.

If you don’t have a regular one-on-one with your boss, ask for one. You don’t have to wait for them to initiate it. Most people feel awkward doing this, but every time I’ve done it my manager was thrilled I asked.

See, most managers see value in one-on-ones, but they suspect you don’t. Asking for one changes the dynamic completely.

Send a brief agenda in advance, and come prepared. (Unsure what to talk about? Grab a copy of the One-on-One Framework for some ideas.)

A sample agenda might be:

In your one-on-one, consider telling your boss that you’re working to change yourself, and the environment. That you want to be a more effective engineer, and create a more effective team environment. That you know tech skills are only a part of what makes a good engineer, and you want to improve your leadership skills.

They won’t feel threatened. You aren’t trying to take their job, but about doing your job better.

Every manager wants self-lead programmers, and self-managed teams. That’s the promise of agile, right? Your efforts will make their life easier.